


Beloved Destiny

by ID_Locke



Category: Divine Worship World - Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Animal Traits, Divine Worship World, God - Freeform, Kitsune-Coyote crossbreed, Knotting, Light BDSM, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-26 11:09:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20929232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ID_Locke/pseuds/ID_Locke
Summary: Ammiel is the God of Perception and the child of three gods but his godhood doesn't allow him to see his own fate. He thinks he knows what his Guardian, Dashiell, wants and he wants it, too. The problem is how to convince Dashiell that their fate is to be together when Dashiell is very aware that seeing his own future isn't something Ammiel's power as a god allows. Dashiell has his own thoughts on what's proper for a God and having a Kitsune/Coyote lover isn't one of them.





	1. 1 Fate's Destiny

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another pairing in my Divine Worship World. For those keeping track, the events of this story happen before The Fire Of Godly Devotion where Ammiel has a small cameo appearance. This is a stand-alone and can be read without having to read any other story in this World.

** 1 Fate’s Destiny **

My head pounded, and I was sure the sun was going to burn right though my eyelids the second I turned my head in the direction of the windows. I moaned softly and silently swore never, ever to drink as much as I had the previous night. With all the power I had, I hadn’t seen what would await me come morning; although going by previous experiences, I should’ve. It wasn’t like I’d never overindulged in a little of the grape before and known what a hangover felt like. I frowned a little and thought that it was really rather unfair that I, Fate, couldn’t see what would happen in my own life.

A warm hand ghosted over my belly making me start in surprise. I didn’t remember going to bed with someone the night before, but I had been spectacularly tipsy off some god-brewed honey wine. I cautiously cracked an eye open, ready to squeeze it immediately shut against the glare of the sun. Instead of searing pain from the rays of the sun, gentle light filtered through the room. I opened my other eye and blinked at the vaguely familiar room. It wasn’t mine, but there was some recollection in the back of my head of seeing the room the previous night. I turned my head and stared for several long seconds into the very pretty face of a woman I’d known for thousands of years. A surprised squeak slipped from me when I felt the gentle press of lips against the side of my neck. I turned my head to stare into the eyes of a man I knew as well as the woman. I’d gone to bed with not only two people but these two people? That was some mighty potent honey wine we’d all been drinking.

The woman woke and smiled at me. She brushed her fingers over my cheek before leaning forward and kissing me. With the kiss, heart-felt and soul-stirring, the left-over alcohol haze cleared from my mind, and everything from the previous night rushed back into my head. I barely suppressed the groan that wanted to leave my throat.

“Did we do what I think we did last night?” I asked even though I already knew the answer to that.

“It was our pleasure to help. Truly,” Maat said with another soft smile. “You deserved it. Your soul, for all that mortals and gods alike curse you for your actions, is not filled with chaos and strife and the desire to do evil. You, like me, seek to create order. You weave a tight, complex fabric of reality that I am in awe of. Thoth and I helped you get what you most desire because I have weighed your heart and it is lighter by far than my feather. You are most worthy of this gift.”

I stared a bit at that. I knew I wasn’t evil despite what so many said. I was probably the most neutral of all the gods. I created the Tapestry of Life, balancing the good with the evil although, at times, it likely seemed to mortals that there was more evil around than there was good. The two couldn’t exist without each other, and while it was within the scope of my power to squash evil until it was barely a knot in my Tapestry of Life, that would upset the warp and weft of my work and actually lead to more problems than it would solve. Also, I was only able to shape the lives of those in my pantheon, and while that was large, I was not the only being setting lives along particular paths. I had to work in consultation with the other gods that wove Tapestries of Life to make sure we all maintained balance and a seamless story through all the Tapestries. We each had our own followers, and it was our job to guide them in the path they needed to travel, but they all shared their lives together and interacted with each other on a daily basis. Thus the Tapestries we wove as individuals needed to blend together seamlessly into one large whole.

“I admit to quite a bit of surprise,” Thoth said as he sat up behind me and leaned against the ornate headboard. “We have known each other for thousands of years, yet never once did you mention the desire for a child until last night. What brought this on? And why ask us to help you? Why not seek out another god or even a mortal to get you what you wished for?”

I sighed. “There is a story behind all this. You remember my telling you about that thoroughly vexing Fatebender and how he tangled all the threads around his and that I perhaps not-so-gently pushed his threads toward Rhas-Khan, the God of the Abyss, to get him out of my weft?”

Thoth chuckled, and Maat laughed before patting my shoulder and crawling over me to snuggle next to her husband. Maat understood perfectly my irritation. She held a similar position to mine in her pantheon. Thoth, like Maat, maintained the universe for their pantheon, and while he wasn’t the one who created order out of the chaos of creation like Maat had, he was the God of Knowledge and helped to maintain that order. He understood completely what it was that Maat and I did. It was one of the reasons that we’d become such good friends. I took their humour at my words as a yes and continued.

“I’ve never dealt with a Fatebender as powerful as Eilam, and if there is any mercy in the realms, I never will again. I wouldn’t wish that level on frustration on any Weaver. I did feel a tiny bit guilty because I was cutting off his chance to have children by placing him with Rhas-Khan when I could see that he wanted children. Several of his paths could’ve provided him with many children, and he would’ve had a fulfilling and joyous life based on what I could see in his tangled threads. But, pushing his threads toward Rhas-Khan showed the best pattern for him, as difficult as it was for me to make that pattern out.

“Honestly, twisting his threads with the God of the Abyss was also the only option available to me given the way his threads kinked and raveled because of his Fatebender nature. Eilam is a good man, and it wasn’t his fault that he was born a Fatebender, but they are extremely difficult to place in the weft as I’m sure you know, Maat. Fatebenders tend to cause maximum disruption to the overall pattern of those around them because of what they are even when they aren’t actively doing something to disrupt the weave. There was also the fact that it irritated me to have an incomplete section of my tapestry where Rhas-Khan’s threads dangled and that they resisted all attempts to weave them in with other threads because of what he is.”

“Working a god’s threads are always challenging since we are so very headstrong and sure of our supremacy,” Maat said with a knowing nod.

I snorted softly. That was an understatement of epic proportions, and I was as guilty as any other god in thinking that very thing.

“Putting Eilam’s threads with Rhas-Khan did clear the area of my Tapestry concerning both of them, which was actually quite a significant area, but it obscured their joint pattern beyond anything I could unravel. There is some sort of pattern to their threads, but it gives me an absolutely brutal headache to try and make sense of it. It’s truly beautiful and complex, and I have to admit to a little twinge of jealousy that I had nothing to do with the outcome of their pattern.

“In the beginning, I tried to put order into their joint pattern, but after months of frustration, I gave up, removed their pattern from the Tapestry and into a piece all their own, and let the threads work themselves out with minimal input from me. Which, I see in hindsight, led to them ending up with a child of their own, which perhaps was what was meant to be. It certainly happened in a way I never even dreamed was possible, so I suppose even one as old as I can learn something new.”

“They took in a child? What is the problem in that? It seems a noble thing to do. You have said before that they love each other very deeply. To the point where Rhas-Khan bestowed his god-mark on Eilam. I would think that would only lead to a very happy and secure childhood for the lucky child,” Thoth said with a puzzled look.

“The child is theirs and not one born of another and taken into their home,” I answered.

“How is that possible? They are both men,” Maat said with a frown. “Even for a fertility god, such a thing would be extraordinarily difficult to do. If I remember correctly, the god of gods in your pantheon strongly discourages the creation of new godlings or demi-gods unless he decrees it. Last I heard, he’d gotten annoyed over the actions of some demi-god and hadn’t allowed any new ones to be born in at least a thousand years.”

I chuckled. “Indeed, and it was even one of his own demi-gods that vexed him so. However, we are talking about The Abyss and a Fatebender. Their combined power would probably rival that of the god of gods although I doubt they’re aware of that. Rhas-Khan might be aware, but he is the Abyss. He holds all the possibilities of everything that was, is, and could be in his hands. Eilam can turn the very warp and weft of my work in odd or even seemingly impossible directions. Nothing can be discounted when dealing with them.”

Maat gave me a sympathetic look and patted my sheet-covered thigh in consolation. “So how did this wondrous thing come to pass?”

“A Phenocryst Giant travelled to the Abyss with her geode. She sought to protect her geode from one of her own who wanted it. She gave it to Rhas-Khan, begging him to safeguard it. Apparently it was kept in their bedroom where there was a good deal of love and passion released on a regular basis. Neither knew that new Phenocryst Giants were born from geodes. They are a rather secretive species not given to sharing information with other species. Honestly, I had no idea that what happened was even possible for a being that wasn’t a Phenocryst Giant. To use the geode as a means to create a child of their own... It’s quite likely that if anybody else tried, the attempt would fail.

“They have an adorable boy, Malachite is his name. They are so much in love with each other and the child....” I sighed softly. “I cannot see my own destiny, something you probably have to deal with as well, Maat. But, after seeing the two of them dote on their boy, deep inside I feel it is important that I have a child. I feel that there is a purpose waiting to be fulfilled and that my role is to provide the world with that child. After seeing Malachite, I also feel like my bearing a child is something that must be done now. I wish I could see why this is so or that another Weaver could tell me, but we both know that’s not how our godhood works for us.”

“Ahh, I see. You came to us because you trust us and knew we would understand,” Maat said with a nod.

“And because you know I could give you the child you believe needs to be born,” Thoth said with a shrewd look. “You are sterile like Nut are you not?”

I nodded and hoped that, despite being friends for aeons, I hadn’t just offended a god in not only his own house but also in his bed. I hadn’t set out to trick them or abuse their trust. It had only been a vague idea in the back of my brain of approaching them to ask if they’d help me. At least until alcohol became involved in the mix. Gods only knew what I’d said to them to convince them of the need I had to bear a child.

Thoth snorted a laugh. “So you come to us under the guise of celebrating the turning of the year and gamble that what magic I worked for Nut would work for you as well. Fate _is_ a sly bitch.”

“Thoth,” Maat said with a little smile as she swatted his arm. “Have no worries dear friend. You will have what you need. All we would ask is that the child also knows us as his or her other parents.”

“If you wish that, then of course. Thank you, my friends,” I said before kissing them both on the lips.

“You thank us now, but in five days hence, you will birth a child. We will see just how thankful you feel after the hundredth feeding in the wee hours of the morning or the thousandth diaper change. We would like the child to know us, but the care and feeding will be all on you as it is a woman’s duty to raise and care for a child,” Thoth said with a smirk.

He yelped and started to laugh as Maat and I turned on him and started lightly slapping his arms and chest. We knew he was teasing. He adored his children and had shared in all the parenting of them, including the less than glamorous bits like diaper changes and dealing with temper tantrums. The slaps ended up turning to caresses which further evolved into a bout of slow, gentle sex. If our initial encounter the night before hadn’t gotten me pregnant, the second one surely did.

While I hadn’t intended to stay beyond the first night, Maat insisted that I stay until I birthed the child. I accepted quickly and gratefully. I’d been a little nervous about going through the process alone especially since I wasn’t sure what to expect. Fortunately for me, Thoth, as the God of Knowledge, knew exactly what to do when the time came. Maat held my hand and encouraged me while Thoth knelt between my legs playing the role of midwife. After several hours of intense, unrelenting pain and effort, the child who I knew with the certainty of a god needed to be born joined the world.

Thoth looked at me, his expression odd. “We have a boy,” he said softly. Thoth looked back down at the baby, his expression unreadable as he cleaned the child.

I waited to hear the cry of an infant, and the blood in my veins ran cold at what the silence might mean.

“What’s wrong? Why isn’t he crying?” I asked as little bubbles of panic started to rise in me.

“He has no reason to cry. He knows he is safe and already adored beyond reason by not one or two gods, but by three. We have a very special little boy, Fate,” Thoth said with a little wonder in his voice as he placed the baby on my belly.

I looked down and sucked in a startled breath, instantly and utterly smitten. I was absolutely sure that I’d just birthed the most beautiful child ever created in any of the realms. He already had a full head of hair, white as new fallen snow except at the nape of his neck where it was the pitch black of a starless night. His skin was the white of the inside of an oyster shell with the faintest of pink blushing. He moved his head to look at me, and I was sure my mouth fell open in surprise. I was one of the Elder Gods yet, there were apparently things left to see for even one as old as I was.

Two pupilless eyes the colour of a pale mauve water lily rimmed in heavy black lines forming wedjat eyes stared at me. In the center of his forehead was a third eye of pale gold with a slit pupil in a darker shade of gold. The third eye was also rimmed in heavy black with three thin lines tracing down from the bottom lid and three joined crescent shapes on either side of the upper lid. Delicately pointed ears stuck out from between the wet hair on his head, and he had shockingly dark red lips. As he stared at me, I felt the most wonderful sense of warmth, calm, and peace flow through me. All that I’d ever accomplished as a god paled in comparison to giving life to this child.

“Oh my,” I said quietly as I brought my hand to rest on the back of his head. Thoth flashed me a smile, likely knowing exactly what I was commenting on.

“What will be his name?” Maat asked as she reached out a hand and stroked her finger gently over his cheek. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she echoed my earlier words of wonder.

“I would that he has my name in some form,” Thoth said firmly as he continued to work between my legs to clean me.

“Not as a first name. Everyone deserves something that is his own,” Maat said in a tone that forbid any arguing with her. “Choosing what he is to be called by those closest to him is the right of his mother. As for another name, Zehuti-sen shall be his other name.”

I nodded absently. Thoth-child was absolutely correct, and I had no issue with that. But what should his first name be? It should be something that spoke of the person he was. Words held power, and the naming of a god, for he most certainly was a god, even more than most.

“He is very sweet and gentle. A warm and giving soul despite what he knows or will come to know about the world and people around him. He has a purity to him that is extremely hard to corrupt. While I do view myself as one of his parents because of how he came into being, that is not proud-parent-speak. I speak as the goddess Maat when I declare those words.”

“You do not have to name him this very instant, Fate,” Thoth said as he finished dealing with the by-products of the birth. “A few days while you sort out what our boy should be called will not harm anything.”

Logically, I knew that. But I felt like he needed to have his name now. I was a touch frustrated that his threads, while brilliantly golden like spun honey and easy for me to see around him, faded out of sight not far from his body just like my own did. There would be no sure seeing of his future. How was I supposed to protect him from harm when I couldn’t see everything about his life? I was suddenly more frightened than I’d ever been in my very long existence.

As if he could sense my rising panic, my newborn tilted his head back, closed his beautiful mauve eyes, and held my stare with his golden eye. I had no idea how a sense of endless patience and massive calm could come from one that was literally minutes old, but it did. My fear eased immediately, and his eye closed as if exhausted. As quickly as that, he was sound asleep.

“What just happened?” Maat asked as her hand gripped my shoulder so hard it actually hurt. Thoth looked as startled as I felt.

“I have no idea,” I said. “I was starting to feel afraid of what lay ahead of me in raising this child, and then... it was gone, and I was calm. I’ll do fine. I don’t know where that surety comes from, but it’s true. I feel it from the bottom of my soul.”

“Perception would seem to be his godhood based on what just happened,” Thoth said with a thoughtful look. “It is astounding that he could do that as he just has. I am afraid that your threads have been tangled far more with the birth of this child than what the Fatebender Eilam could ever do if he tried for millennia.

“I am the God of Knowledge; my wife, who had a hand in the creation of this child as well, is the Goddess of Balance, Justice, and Truth and the Bringer of Order from the chaos of creation. You are Fate, an Elder God and older even than we are. You control the lives of not just mortals but also the lives of gods of your pantheon to a degree. It would appear that in this tiny child, we have placed a portion of the power of three celestial beings of immeasurable power. To affect one such as yourself is unexpected for a babe only minutes old. Regardless of him being my child as well, he will have my protection as I am sure he will need it. Watch over him carefully, Fate. There are those in the world, both mortal and god, that would use him for their own goals.”

“He is a peace-maker and will seek balance. I have no doubt that the world will need one such as him several times over. While I do not interfere in the workings of the mortal world and only strive to keep the gods from leaning too far in any one direction, I will watch over him as well and warn you of anything untoward,” Maat said.

I blew out a soft breath. Well, this was certainly an unexpected turn of events. The world could certainly use more peace in it and more people working to that goal. I thought it was an unfair thing to burden a babe with, but the hows and whys of his birth were entirely on my shoulders. I would have to see about getting some guardians for my new son. I trusted Thoth and Maat implicitly, but they did have their own godly duties to attend to, and I couldn’t rely solely on them. I looked down at my sleeping child and gently ran a hand over his silky hair, suddenly knowing his name.

“Ammiel. His name is Ammiel. It means one of the family of god, for he most certainly is that. Part of his name, with some tonal variations, also means honey in several languages. I think that is most fitting; don’t you? Honey is considered a gift of the gods and to the gods in several pantheons, both of ours included.”

Thoth laughed softly. “Ammiel Zehuti-sen. I like it. It sounds pretty and is fitting.”

“I like it as well. Come, let us leave Thoth to the changing of the sheets before you take a well deserved nap. As well behaved as Ammiel has been these first few minutes, that will not entirely last, and you should catch your rest wherever and whenever you can,” Maat said as she helped me to stand, Ammiel cradled in my arms.

I stayed with Thoth and Maat a few more days, grateful for their help and support. Despite Maat’s warning, Ammiel was the perfect baby, sleeping well, and I’d yet to hear him cry. We all thought that was a little odd, and Thoth said he knew nothing about a child that never cried, god or not. Most times, Ammiel’s third eye rested at half mast or was entirely closed. When he did open it and stare at you, the most amazing sense of serenity flowed through you like warm honey. It wasn’t just maternal pride that had me believing that my little boy was very special.

I walked on the little path through the forest that led to my home, Ammiel slung in a blanket tied across my chest, sleeping peacefully. I could’ve simply appeared where I needed to be, but the day was lovely with birds singing and small animals scampering through the leaves scattered on the forest floor, chittering away to each other. Flowers nodded their heads in the gentle breeze, perfuming the air with their delicate scent. It was a day that demanded to be appreciated.

Heart-wrenching sobs broke the calm of the day and woke Ammiel. His little face scrunched up, and his third eye opened wide. He flailed his arms, and for the first time since he greeted the world a few days ago, he looked upset. I moved forward a little cautiously, Ammiel’s upset making me wary. I was an Elder God and had more power than most celestial beings. I could deal with almost anything. I could also be harmed if someone had the right tools just as any god could be. I also had my child to protect, and despite him also being a god, he was still fairly helpless at this stage in his life.

Tucked slightly off the path where the forest ended and the expanse of my lawn started sat a creature next to a bundle of fur. The creature must’ve heard me walking and jerked it’s head up. Golden eyes stared at me from the face of a very young fox. Tear tracks matted down the short fur of its face. It was no ordinary fox though. I had a very young Kitsune sitting in front of me. Although, on a closer look, he wasn’t entirely Kitsune. Something else was mixed into his blood.

“You need to help Mama. She said you’d help,” the Kitsune said in a watery, young-sounding voice.

I glanced down at the bundle of bloody and matted fur next to him and knew there was nothing I could do to help. While I held immense power, bringing the dead back to life was not something I could do. I knelt in the leaves and gently touched the fur, surprised to find the body still slightly warm.

“I’m very sorry, but there’s nothing I can do for your mama now. What’s your name little one and what happened here?” I asked gently.

“Dashiell. Mama said we needed to come to you to be safe. Some of the other Kitsune were mad at her because she loved Papa so much. They were mad because of me, too. I heard them talking to Mama about me. I wasn’t supposed to hear that stuff. They said she needed to get rid of me and Papa or they’d do it for her.”

“Where’s your papa now, Dashiell?” I asked as I tried to sooth Ammiel with one hand as his little arms and legs flailed and kicked within the blanket, his upset becoming more pronounced.

“I don’t know,” Dashiell said as he started to cry again. “He was gone one day, and Mama was really scared when she couldn’t find him. She looked and looked and looked for him for a long time, and when she finally came home, she’d been crying really hard. She put stuff in a bag and said we had to go right away.”

That was odd. Generally, Kitsune didn’t care what lovers their kind took. It was well documented that they often took human lovers, and that was completely acceptable. Something else had to be going on here.

“What about your papa’s family? Can I bring you to them?” I asked gently.

“Papa is a Coyote. Me and Mama are his family. His other family is far, far away, so there’s nobody else,” Dashiell said around a sob, his little fist clenched tight in the fur of his mother.

Well, damn. That explained a lot. A Kitsune would pair with another Kitsune or a human, but they didn’t, to the best of my knowledge, pair with other animals, not actually being animals themselves. I imagined there was a good bit of disbelief and outrage among the Kitsune over Dashiell’s mother’s actions. Assuming, of course, that Dashiell’s father was a coyote not a Coyote. If his father was one of the Trickster’s pack, I could still see the other Kitsune getting their fur ruffled over what was probably perceived as tainting their bloodline.

To the Kitsune, it was fine to dally with humans and even have children with them as human blood either completely subverted the Kitsune blood or the Kitsune blood overwhelmed the human blood. Creatures walking with a foot in both worlds didn’t happen from that mix. But stir together two Otherworldly creatures, and you had something entirely new on your hands which might not be a good thing depending on what mixed together.

I looked at Dashiell and followed his threads back. His mother died protecting him. His father died trying to lead the other Kitsune away from his mate and offspring. I picked up his father’s thread, and he was indeed one of the Trickster’s pack. There was going to be some bad blood going on when the Trickster learned of what the Kitsune had done to one of His own for nothing more than daring to love a Kitsune and have a family with her. I had no doubts that the Kitsune would be back to finish what they started. They were vengeful creatures, and honour was extremely important to them. Dashiell was likely seen as something that sullied their honour.

The angry wail from Ammiel startled Dashiell and me. Dashiell leaned forward at the same time that Ammiel managed to wriggle an arm free of the blanket and looked at Dashiell. Time seemed to freeze for several seconds, and I was oddly helpless to do anything as Dashiell reached out a clawed finger to Ammiel. Ammiel grabbed the offered finger and stared at Dashiell, the angry cry immediately stopping and a beatific smile lighting his face.

“He’s so pretty,” Dashiell said with a little awe in his voice. “This is why Mama brought us here. For him. I’m supposed to be with him. To help keep him safe. I know it.”

I looked at Dashiell sharply. Sure enough, the threads of his life and Ammiel’s now wound tightly together, and while I knew that I could eventually untangle them, it would take a lot of time and effort. I was also very sure that as soon as I untangled one area and moved to the next, the threads I’d just separated would twist themselves back around each other. I sighed softly. There was no helping it. Dashiell was supposed to be with us.

I turned my head at the sound of rustling leaves behind me. I stared into the faces of half a dozen Kitsune ready to tear Dashiell apart. They looked between Dashiell and me and obviously wanted to attack him but knew who and what I was. They bowed their heads in respect to me. I needed to put them in their place and cement the relationship Dashiell had with Ammiel and me.

“Leave and do not return with the murder in your hearts that I can plainly see. Dashiell is part of my household now, and to harm him is to bring my wrath on your head. You know who I am. You know what I can do. You know your goddess cannot protect you from my anger if I so wish it.”

“My Lady, it is an abomination and not fit to live. There’s no telling what havoc it may wreak. The taint of it needs to be purged. It is in the best interest of everyone to kill it,” one of the older Kitsune said.

“My son feels differently. Their threads are already entwined to such an extent that even I would have difficulty picking them apart. You say there’s no telling what havoc he will cause, but I know what’s in store for him because I am Fate.”

I let that sink in to their brains even though I was lying through my teeth. Now that Dashiell’s threads were tangled with Ammiel’s, I couldn’t see more than hazy, frustrating glimpses about their futures. I could see happiness for him and Ammiel though, and that was more than enough for me.

“I will not warn you again. To threaten Dashiell is to threaten my son, and that would be extremely unwise of you. Ammiel is also the son of Thoth and Maat. If you thought risking the displeasure of one god was worth the high cost of carrying out your mission, I highly doubt it’s worth having three godly parents in addition to the Trickster himself angry with you. I will be informing the Trickster of Dashiell’s existence. I’m sure he will be interested in knowing of the addition to one of his pack. ”

The Kitsune all took a collective step back. They’d taken the chance of pissing off the Trickster to get to Dashiell, but no sane creature wanted to attract the ire of four gods. They bowed and melted away into the forest. I turned back to Dashiell and rested a hand on his silky head.

“My spiders will wrap your mother in the finest silk, and she will be buried wherever you wish so you can visit any time you like. We’ll leave them to their work for now. They’ll tell me when they’re done. Come with me, and we’ll get you settled.”

Dashiell looked at the pile of fur that was all that remained of his mother and nodded. I stood, and Dashiell’s finger slipped free of Ammiel’s grasp. Ammiel fretted, and I shushed him. Dashiell slipped his hand into mine, and we started the walk across the lawn to the house. Ammiel closed his eyes and quieted. To say that I’d had a very eventful week was a massive understatement. Oddly enough, I felt as if the majority of the excitement was past me now and that life would settle into a calm routine. Or at least I dearly hoped it would.


	2. 2 Perceiving The Heart

** 2 Perceiving The Heart **

~Ammiel~

The day was gorgeous. Clear blue skies, a warm, gentle breeze, flowers lending their perfume to the air, and the pleasant sounds of droning bees and singing birds. It was absolutely perfect for what I had planned. The only possible problem was the one I wanted to share such a spectacular day with. Dashiell could be a little too devoted to duty at times, and when that duty involved keeping me safe, he could and did drive me crazy.

I patted the blanket spread out in a field of flowers, the command to sit obvious. He looked around and frowned at me before sinking gracefully to his knees, tucking the sword he was never without to the side. I ignored the frown and started taking things out of the picnic basket and placing them on the blanket. I needed to make it look like we actually were on the picnic I’d insisted we go on, or Dashiell would hustle me back to the house where he felt it was safest for me. I wasn’t taking any unacceptable risks. We were still on the grounds of the house, and nothing with even rudimentary brains would attack me here and face the wrath of Fate.

I wasn’t entirely helpless either. I was a god, something Dashiell liked to forget with stunning regularity. Fine, my powers as a god wouldn’t do me any good in a fight, but that wasn’t the point. Being a god, there were precious few things in the world that could actually kill me. However, that didn’t mean it was impossible, and that’s why I had Dashiell as a protector. I could still feel pain just like any other living creature, and I wasn’t too keen on that.

Truthfully, I liked that he was so protective and possessive of me. It made me feel warm and good inside. There were other things that he did that also made me feel warm and good inside, such as kissing me and holding me close, and with this little picnic, I was aiming to steer things in that direction and a little further down the road if luck was on my side.

“Relax, Dashiell. Nothing is going to jump out and attack us here. Have some strawberries. I managed to beg a little of the custard you like out of the cook, too. It tastes fantastic when you dip the strawberries in the custard. I have a couple of different types of cheese and grapes, too. Oh, I also got the cook to throw in some of those little melon balls you enjoy as well.”

Dashiell looked at me warily. “What are you up to, Ammiel?”

I could’ve lied and said _nothing_, but Dashiell knew me far too well to believe that. I also didn’t like lying to him. Besides which, what I wanted, he wanted, too. I didn’t even need to use any of my godly powers to know that. He was just being stubborn about acting on what he wanted for some reason that was a total mystery to me. Despite being the God of Perception, most of the time I couldn’t see what directly involved me, which was frustrating as hell.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m hoping to seduce you,” I said with a little exasperated sigh. “First you said we needed to wait until we were more mature. I saw the logic behind that even if I think you were born mature. Then you said we needed to wait until I was comfortable in my godhood. I let that slide as I’ve always been comfortable in my godhood, but you seemed to need more time to get used to the idea of being the lover of a god, which is fine as it could be intimidating to be a god’s lover. I wouldn’t think that was the case between us since we’ve known each other since, well, forever, but I let that slide, too.

“Then you said you wanted to wait until you had another tail which started to sound more than a little like a stalling tactic. I did a little reading, Dashiell. It can take more than a hundred years for a Kitsune to grow another tail. And not to put too fine a point on it, because you’re also Coyote, you might never grow more tails. Not that I care how many tails you do or don’t have. I think the one you have is beautiful and that you might just be a little greedy in wanting more,” I teased gently before turning serious. 

“I do have to wonder though why you haven’t made a single move to take us beyond anything more than really hot kisses and a little groping with all our clothes on. Don’t get me wrong here. I love when we kiss and rub our bodies against one another even if we’re mostly still dressed when we do that. But you keep cock-blocking me if I try to move us along to greater intimacy, even if it’s just to be fully naked with each other while we’re kissing. This is so very frustrating on all kinds of levels. I’m pretty confident that you enjoy kissing me. I know for a fact that we were both achingly hard the last time we were kissing and touching each other because I was stroking you just like you were stroking me through our clothes before you called a halt to things. I’m still a little annoyed about that, too. What is going on, Dashiell?”

Dashiell didn’t say anything and seemed to be trying to look anywhere except directly at me. That was weird because he knew that since our lives were so tightly entangled together, I couldn’t really use my power as the God of Perception to see what was going on with him. I could get vague impressions of things and half-formed visions, but because his threads of fate were so knotted with mine, I couldn’t be sure that what I was seeing was the real thing or what I simply wanted to see. That limitation on my godhood sucked massively.

I wanted Dashiell with an intensity that was almost painful. I’d god-mark him in a fraction of a heartbeat if I knew that was what he wanted. I wanted him to want me back for me and not because he felt some sort of duty to see to my desires. That would be a classic Dashiell move, and it made my blood run cold to think that he was struggling with his perceived duty to me and becoming intimate because of that.

“Tell me that I’m wrong in thinking that you want to make love with me, and I’ll drop the subject and never bring it up again. Tell me that you don’t lay in your bed at night and jerk off while thinking of me, and I’ll pretend that nothing even remotely sexual ever happened between us, and we’ll be just very close friends. But if you do tell me any of that, it had better damn well be the absolute truth. I can’t freely perceive things about those closest to me but I can see the truth of words spoken by anyone regardless of how close to me they are. I’ll be very hurt and upset if you lie to me about how you feel about me, about us being together.

“I love you, Dashiell. I knew I was meant to be with you from the second I saw you, and I was only days old then. I _know_ things. That’s part of my godhood as the God of Perception. I know you’re the one person in all the realms that I can truly be happy with. I’m also the person that is meant to be with you, giving you the happiness you deserve. I usually can’t see things about my life, but those two things, I saw them from the very first time we met.”

Dashiell looked down at his lap and sighed. My body felt cold as ice when he said nothing for several long minutes. I did know all kinds of things because of what I was god of, but the workings of a person’s heart were still a mystery to me, especially if it was Dashiell’s heart. It was a bit of a long shot, but I could’ve totally misread the type of happiness I’d seen Dashiell have with me in his life to be romantic. He could certainly find happiness in serving me and keeping me safe. He was a very honour-and-duty-orientated person, and it was a great honour to serve a god personally. I was almost positive that wasn’t where the happiness I’d seen for him would come from, but there _was_ a teeny-tiny seed of doubt in my mind.

I’d asked Mother-Maat and Father-Thoth about the way the heart worked hoping they’d be able to tell me how to read that in a person. I figured that if anybody would know it would be Mother-Maat since weighing a heart for all it contained, good and bad, was part of her godhood. Father-Thoth is a god of knowledge, so he would know more than anyone else about... everything.

They’d both chuckled and said that love was chaos in the best possible way and that there was no way even a god could figure out how love worked between two people. There were gods of love and lust in many pantheons, but they only pushed along what was already there. Or at least that was my understanding of how their powers worked. Not even a god could create true, lasting love if the foundations of it weren’t already there.

I felt a little sick that I might’ve misjudged Dashiell, his actions, and feelings so horribly wrong. There were all kinds of love in the world, and I might have mistaken the kind Dashiell had for me. I didn’t think so, but even gods could be wrong, and I was so very young for a god, not even a quarter century old. I was practically a newborn as far as gods were concerned.

“I do love you, Ammiel. Not only as a friend but as something deeper. I always have, and I’m sure you know that. But you deserve better. You deserve a goddess of equal standing to you not some male half-breed that is very, very far from being a god. You deserve a family. Children,” he said without looking at me as he toyed with the tassel on the pommel of his sword.

“Deserve better than what? You? You’re an amazing person. There isn’t anyone better in my opinion. You’re fiercely loyal, protective, kind, generous, and I personally find you sexy as all get out. And just when, in all the years that you’ve known me, have I ever expressed any interest in having children or in a female of any species? It’s not like there haven’t been offers from women, mortal and goddesses. I know you know that, too. Women don’t arouse me and never have. Men make me hard, you especially. The thought of actually sticking my dick into a female is... well, kinda gross, and I know I wouldn’t be able to get it up anyway. Where the hell is this stupid idea coming from?”

“It’s not stupid, Ammiel. You’re a god. I’m not. I can’t even look all the way human. This is as close as I can get, and it’s just not good enough,” he said with a little frustration in his voice as he gestured at himself.

Dashiell was beautiful in my opinion. He had ultra-short snow white fur covering his entire body that felt like the finest velvet. His tail was pure coyote, long, thick and full, the fur a mix of sandy browns and black. The fur on his head was more like hair, a little longer than the very short white fur over the rest of his body and the same gorgeous colours as his tail. His ears were adorable. They were large and sat on top of his head, a lovely white contrast to his head fur. He had the short muzzle of a fox and long, clawed fingers. His feet were more like paws, the toes also tipped with claws. His body was human-ish in all the places that mattered, and under the sinfully soft fur, I could see and feel wonderful muscle definition. I thought he was perfect.

“Yeah, I’m a god. So what? It’s not like gods only fuck other gods. I know you know that, too. By the Great-Father, there’re so many damn stories about gods fucking anything that stayed still for longer than two seconds, it’s a freaking wonder there aren’t demi-gods crawling all over the place. And before you say anything about how that’s not a relationship, which it usually wasn’t, do I really need to point out that my two most favourite uncles are with people who _aren’t_ gods and have been with them for centuries? And children? Really? You’ve known me how long and still have some weird notion that I want some little snot factory running around my ankles? No thank you. Not in this life time.

“As far as you not looking human, that doesn’t matter to me. It never has. Did you miss the part a couple of minutes ago when I said that I find you really sexy? I love you exactly as you are. I think you’re perfect. Cute foxy ears, furry body, adorable snout, pawed feet, clawed hands, gorgeous tail, and all. You make my dick hard without even trying. You make me feel like I’ve been struck by lightning when I come while thinking of you. You make me feel loved and appreciated for me. Not Ammiel the child of three gods or Ammiel, God of Perception, but just Ammiel, the man.”

“But...” Dashiell started. I sighed mentally. He was worse than a starving dog with a bone when he got an idea in his head.

“But nothing. It’s really very simple, Dashiell. Do you love me as a lover? Do you want to have sex with me? Do you want to be my partner in everything? I’m pretty sure I know the answer to those questions, but I want you to tell me. I need you to tell me. I want you as a lover, and I most certainly want to have sex with you. You’re already my partner in so many things, but I want you to partner me in everything. But, I’ll only accept you in that role if it’s something you want, too.”

“Yes, I love you as both a friend and a lover, and it would be beyond my wildest dreams to take you to bed. I want to be your everything. But there’re things about me... because of what I am that... I just don’t think you’re ready for that stuff. I’m not sure you’d ever be ready for it,” Dashiell said, his voice unsure sounding.

I frowned. What the hell was he talking about? What things? And why wouldn’t I be ready for... whatever it was that he was hinting at but not actually saying. I couldn’t see a blush on Dashiell’s cheeks because of his silky fur, but he looked decidedly uncomfortable, and I was almost positive that he was blushing under his fur. Dashiell was usually very straight forward with me, so this behaviour was new and odd for him.

“What stuff are you talking about? What don’t you think I’m ready for? I am an adult. I’ve had the sex talk with Mom and even a rather surprising one with Father-Thoth. I had no idea he had a male consort, Astennu, in Duat. Father-Thoth seemed very pleased when I told him that you were the one I lusted after.”

Dashiell’s head snapped up, and his ears lay flat to his skull in shock. “You told Lord Thoth that we wanted to be intimate? Ammiel! He could smite me without even blinking. He should smite me because men laying with men is against one of the commandments of his pantheon. Why hasn’t he turned me into nothing more than a greasy stain on the ground?”

“Don’t be silly, Dashiell. Father-Thoth wouldn’t do that. He said the rules of men laying with men only applied to humans, and because I’m a god and you’re Kitsune-Coyote, it was okay that we were together and didn’t violate the 42 Negative Confessions. He asked me if you made me happy, and when I said yes, he just smiled and ruffled my hair and said that was all that he wished for me. Now what are these things about you that you think I’m not ready for?”

Dashiell looked back down at his lap and fiddled with the tassel on the end of his sword grip again. Whatever these things were that he thought I wasn’t ready for, he was obviously worried about them. Dashiell was usually very composed and sure of himself, so it was strange to see him at a loss. He also tended to toy with the decorative tassel on his sword when he was feeling less than confident about something.

“Well, you know that I’m not all the way Kitsune and not quite Coyote either,” he began.

He’d stopped calling himself not a real Kitsune when I lost my temper with him one day and said that just because he happened to have a little something other than Kitsune in him didn’t make him any less of one. His feelings about his mixed heritage were his one weak spot.

“I don’t know if things would be different if I was one hundred percent Kitsune or all the way Coyote or if they’d still be the same. I can’t really ask someone from either side of my family tree. The other Kitsune, as you know, don’t really want to have anything to do with me, which I’ve come to terms with. Not that it really matters that I can’t ask them about this because it wouldn’t change anything even if I could ask. I’ve never seen another Coyote, and it’s too far for me to travel to their lands on my own even if I knew where to start looking for them, so no answers would be coming from that direction either.”

I was really confused now, and Dashiell wasn’t helping. I was also starting to get a little worried. He was beginning to make me think there was something wrong with him physically when it came to sex. I wasn’t sure how that could be since I knew what I’d felt pressed against me when we’d kissed and groped each other. True, I hadn’t actually had sex with anyone yet, but I did have a dick of my own and knew a hard on when I felt one pressed against me even if there were several layers of cloth between me and said cock.

“Just tell me what the hell is wrong or what you think is wrong, Dashiell. You’re starting to worry me.”

He blew out a soft breath. “I am fox and coyote and not human or Elf or whatever at all. Because of that, there’s some things about me that are different from you.”

“I’m not any of those things either,” I reminded him with a small smile. “Not even remotely. In case you’ve let it slip your notice, I happen to have an actual third eye in the middle of my forehead, and the marks around that eye and my other two eyes can’t come off. Even my eyes are very different from mortals. My regular eyes have no pupils and my third eye is slit like a cat’s. Not only that, my skin is white as paper, and nothing mortal has skin like mine. Nobody seeing me would ever mistake me for anything mortal, Dashiell, so I don’t see how any of that is relevant to anything between us.”

“Well, no, but physically, you are very humanoid-like aside from your eyes and skin colour. True, I have a human-ish form and can’t assume the shape of a fox or a coyote or be fully human-shaped, but...” he sighed again. “When it comes to things like the physical aspects of sex, I’m very different from you and lean more towards the animal side of the family tree, I think.”

Different? More animal than human-ish in the cock department? This was starting to get interesting. And maybe a little kinky. I liked that idea. I knew I was a gentle soul at my core, but I was also a god and had the sexual appetite of one. Us gods were a little notorious for liking to fuck frequently and with big heaping doses of kink. Whatever Dashiell had to tell me was certainly sounding promising for us as a couple in my mind. Not that he needed anything extra on the attraction side of things, but I wasn’t going to complain over an unexpected bonus.

“Okay, and?” I prompted when he didn’t continue.

Dashiell looked back up at me, and I saw determination in his eyes. “I have a bone in my cock that gives me an erection. In the spring when mating season arrives my balls double in size and almost ache to be emptied. The amount of come I produce then is a little boggling. I also have a bulb at the base of my cock. I did some reading, and apparently, both foxes and coyotes have that. Once a male finds a female and breeds her, the bulb swells inside her, tying the two together anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour and a half while the male continuously ejaculates.

“I haven’t gone looking for a female to breed with because I have no interest in doing that. Not that I think there’s a Kitsune female, or male for that matter, who’d have me anyway. I can’t speak of any Coyotes as I’ve never met any, but from what Fate has said, one of them wouldn’t be opposed to being with one such as myself because they don’t seem to share the same prejudices as the Kitsune.

“In all honesty, I do jerk off quite frequently. The bulb doesn’t always appear except in the spring during breeding season. I can’t seem to do anything about it then. Based on my experiences by myself, I’ve had the bulb stay swollen for as short as fifteen minutes and as long as an hour. I’m not bragging, but it’s a pretty substantial size. I think I’d hurt you, Ammiel, and that is something I never want to do,” Dashiell said earnestly.

I grinned at Dashiell and leaned into him until we were nose to snout. Giddy butterflies of excitement swirled through my belly and my cock started to firm. I loved that Dashiell automatically assumed he’d be the one doing me. Fine, I really liked that idea a lot but I had plans to get my dick into him, too. I actually gave myself shivers of pleasure imagining myself on all fours with Dashiell covering me, tied to him by his cock in my ass and unable to do anything to get free. The mental image of watching Dashiell helplessly come over and over again, drenching his belly with his come as my dick was buried in his ass was pure hotness. We were going to be made of so much erotic passion once we were together.

“So how big are we talking here? Bigger than a plum? An orange? A grapefruit? When can I get to see and feel this bit of unexpected awesomeness?” I asked eagerly.

Dashiell’s eyes were wide as he stared at me. I somehow managed to hold back the snicker that wanted to escape at his stunned, disbelieving look.

“Ammiel!” Dashiell exclaimed in a scandalized tone. “That’s not funny. I’m being serious here.”

“It wasn’t meant to be funny. I’m genuinely asking how big this bulb of yours gets. If it’s plum-sized, I’ll be fine. Orange-sized will take some getting used to, but I still think totally fine. If it’s something grapefruit-sized, well, we’ll need to work up to something that big. Or, it could be something fun to just experience all at once since you say it swells after your cock is inside whomever. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I like that last idea.

“Look, I know you see me as some sort of... perfect creature made of honey and flowers and sunshine, but I’m not. Yes, I am a god, and there is some measure of perfection involved, but it’s not absolute. I’m also positive that us gods are the kinkiest, most twisted, sexually deviant things that have ever lived. I’m not an exception to that behaviour either. No, I don’t think I’d get up to some of the more... let’s say extreme things that some of my aunts and uncles do. Out of curiosity I wouldn’t mind watching some of my uncles play, but to try some of their pleasures personally? Even though I’ve never tried it, I’m pretty sure getting whipped is not really my thing.”

Dashiell was looking at me as if I’d suddenly sprouted another head. I wasn’t sure why though. I hadn’t been shy in the little bit of pleasures he’d allowed between us. Come to think of it, it’d usually been me who’d started things going in a sexual direction. What had I said to surprise him?

“Extreme pleasures? Whipped? What are you talking about?” Dashiell asked warily. “And why would you want to watch any of your uncles... play? Wouldn’t that be weird and uncomfortable?”

“Well, you know Fei-Lau, Sleet, and Khale are in a committed relationship together. That’s a bit odd even for a god, but the stranger thing is that Fei-Lau is Master to both Sleet and Khale, and Sleet is sometimes also Master to Khale’s bottom and Fei-Lau allows that. They play rather hard, too. I’ve heard that Fei-Lau can be quite sadistic to his lovers and that they enjoy that, which is why their relationship works for them. I’ve also heard that Rhas-Khan and Eilam sometimes play very roughly with whips—to the point that it would seriously injure or even kill a mortal.”

“Where in the world did you hear that?” Dashiell asked, his tone filled with a combination of scandal and curiosity.

“Gods are horrible, horrible gossips. Ji-Sun told me all about it. I think he was trying to shock me with tales of sexual escapades and excess. It just made me curious. I don’t quite understand the thrill of hurting your lover or being hurt in return, but as I’m not the one in their bed, it doesn’t really matter whether I understand it or not. They’re happy in their games, and that’s what’s important for them.

“As far as watching my uncles fuck their lovers, why would that be weird or uncomfortable? Gods routinely screw each other, and quite a few of them don’t care who sees it, or they flat out like being watched. Ji-Sun offered to teach me things to please you, but I turned him down. I want you to be my first and only lover. It was a tempting offer though. Just think of what I could’ve learned from the God of Carnal Desires himself. I’m positive it would’ve been a very educational and highly pleasurable experience. I doubt Rhas-Khan and Eilam would go for having anyone watch them together though because they don’t seem the type for that sort of thing. Fei-Lau, Sleet, and Khale? In a heartbeat. Especially Khale from what I heard. The man apparently loves performing sexually in front of an audience and puts on quite a spectacular show.”

Dashiell was actually staring at me with his mouth open. He sputtered half words for several seconds before he managed to collect himself to form a proper sentence. “How in the name of all the gods do you know all that?”

“Sleet told me. He said that he and Fei-Lau did all kinds of hurty things to Khale as a very special present to him while Rhas-Khan, Eilam, Ji-Sun, Isshaul, Qyliah, Chusi, and Razmig watched. At the end of the performance, as a reward for Khale doing so well, everybody jerked off on him while he was tied down, spread eagle on some sort of special rack kind of thing. Sleet said Khale enjoyed having all those men come on him so much, Khale came without a single touch to his cock when Fei-Lau told him to. Sleet said Khale actually passed out from the pleasure. To hear Sleet talk about it, Khale was extremely touched that his lovers had gone to so much trouble for him.”

Dashiell’s eyes were impossibly wide at that revelation. I had to admit I’d been a little bit shocked to hear about that incident, but as long as everybody wanted what happened and got what they needed from it, I wasn’t going to sit in judgement about how somebody found pleasure. It probably would’ve been really erotic to watch, too. I couldn’t imagine feeling so much pleasure that you could come without stroking your cock. Although, now that I thought about it, it would probably be amazing, kinky fun to see if Dashiell could push me that far. Or if I could do that to him. By the heavens, the kinky ideas in my head were really starting to pile up.

“So you want things like that between us?” Dashiell asked in a cautious tone that bordered between scandalized and interested.

“No. I’d watch out of curiosity if I stumbled on someone having sex. Who wouldn’t, god or not? What I want is you. Just you. I want us to explore together what we like, what arouses us. Who knows? I could like being tied up or spanked or having all kinds of things stuffed up my ass. Or I might like tying you up and spanking you or shoving things in your hole. My point is that I want to try all kinds of things with you, Dashiell. I want to discover what arouses you and me, together. I want to do that now matter of fact. What do you want?”

Dashiell gave me a very intense look of want, but there was also a very big dose of uncertainty in his eyes, too. It was extremely hard for me _not_ to try to use my power as the God of Perception to simply see the solution. I also wasn’t sure that I’d see what was real, not something that I wanted to see with all my heart. My godhood wasn’t very accurate where my own life and those closest to me was concerned. Mom said that was because of whose child I was. I thought that sucked.

“Are you really sure about this, Ammiel? I... I don’t think I could go back to just being the best of friends after we make love. It’d be too hard to ignore what we’d done if you... if you... were repulsed by what I am when I’m aroused.”

By the Great-Father, Dashiell was going to drive me crazy. When he had an idea he wasn’t willing to let go, Dashiell was officially worse than a starving dog with a meaty bone. I had no idea why he thought anything about him would make me reject him. We’d seen each other nude plenty of times, and I really liked what I saw then. Granted, I’d never seen him naked and fully aroused, but that would only be an improvement on what I’d already seen to my way of thinking.

“Okay, fine. I wasn’t going to tell you this because, well, I kinda abused my power as a god a little, and I try not to do that to family and those I care about. But you seem stuck on the idea that I’ll change my mind once I see you naked with a hard on. That’s about as far from the truth as you can get. I desperately want to see you naked and so hard you ache.

“You know I can see things with my third eye that normally wouldn’t be visible. It’s part of my godhood, but I try not to spy on people because that’s just rude and everybody is entitled to their privacy. However, you remember a few weeks ago when we were kissing and pressing up against one another and getting all hot and bothered and then you suddenly pushed away from me and took off like your tail was on fire?”

At Dashiell’s cautious nod, I continued.

“I was really confused and thought maybe I’d done something wrong or upset you somehow. Yes, I’m the God of Perception, but intimacy like we were sharing is mostly new to me, so I’m still working out the details of it. It’s also different when I’m the one involved because I have a really hard time seeing into the details of my own life, which totally sucks by the way.

“Anyway, I peeked in on you to try and figure out what I did wrong so I could fix it. I was expecting to see you pacing somewhere or practicing moves with your sword—stuff you normally do when you’re irritated or upset. Instead, I saw you on your bed on hands and knees, naked and jerking off like your life depended on you orgasming in the next thirty seconds. I’ve never seen anything so hot in my entire life even if I couldn’t actually see your cock and the vision was frustratingly fuzzy. I jerked off right along with you once I realized what you were doing. I swear on my godhood, I’ve never come so hard before. My only regret was that I wasn’t actually there with you when you came.”

I was sure that Dashiell was blushing under his soft fur at my words. I reached out and cupped his face, my fingers sliding over his short fur. I kissed him gently on his short muzzle and pulled back the tiniest bit.

“I love you, Dashiell. I always have and I always will. You would be doing me a great honour to become my lover. We don’t have to go all the way today if you’re not comfortable with that. There’s other things we can do for both our pleasure. I’m ready to share my body with you now. I’ve been ready and wanting to do that for a while, but you need to be okay and ready for that, too. You’re beautiful to me exactly the way you are, and I wouldn’t change a thing about you even if I had the power to do that.”

Dashiell studied my face for several long seconds before he smiled shyly and leaned in to kiss me.

“Let’s see what happens and take it from there. I’ve been dreaming of this for a long time, and I might get too excited and get a little rougher than I should. I don’t want to hurt you in my eagerness,” Dashiell said softly as he pulled back from the kiss.

“Why are you so sure that you’ll be the one doing me?” I teased gently, relief washing through me at his words. I hadn’t been wrong. “I am a god after all, and gods bow to no one.”

Dashiell looked startled for a moment before he shoved me to my back on the blanket and grinned at me with what should’ve been a truly frightening amount of sharp and pointy teeth.

“Because I know you, and you’re more than a little lazy when you know you can get somebody else to do the majority of the work for you. You’ll enjoy laying on your back, your legs spread, while I do all the work of getting us both off. Not that I’ll mind in this instance.”

I laughed and threw my arms around Dashiell’s neck, hugging him tight before kissing him again. He did know me better than anyone else. He also put his entire being into something when he decided on a course of action. There’d be no more hesitation from him about us becoming lovers, something I was deliriously excited about.

“While that is mostly true, I do intend to get my dick into you on a fairly regular basis. But, I want you inside me the first time we make love. It just feels right for it to be that way. I want to experience all of you, Dashiell. I want to feel that bulb you mentioned. I want to be joined with you, unable to separate until I’ve drained your balls dry.”

“I don’t think that’s wise for your first time, Ammiel. Weren’t you listening?” Dashiell asked with a frown.

“Yeah, I was listening, and the idea really excites me. So just how substantial are we talking here? You never did answer me earlier. And when does this bulb or knot thing happen? Right away as soon as you enter me? Or do you need to reach a certain point of excitement? Or does it happen just when you’re about to come?”

Dashiell sighed and moved so he was laying on his side next to me. He wasn’t the only one who could be stubbornly persistent once an idea was in his head.

“You’re not going to let this go are you?” When I shook my head no, he sighed again. “Fine. It doesn’t always appear when it’s not breeding season, but if I’m really excited, it does. It swells when I’m close to release and once it does swell, I can’t make it go back down until I’ve utterly emptied my balls. I can’t say for certain since I’ve never been with anyone but, given what I’ve done when I’ve jerked off and had the knot appear, I get a few thrusts away from coming, push my hips as far forward as I can so my hand is right at the base of my cock and then go still. The knot swells very quickly—maybe five seconds or so, and it’s full size. I move my hips a little more, keeping my fingers around the base of my cock as if the knot were trapped inside a mate, and then I come. Over and over again.”

“Fantastic,” I said with a grin, anticipation making me harder than dwarven-forged steel. “Then that means you should have already worked my hole nice and open just from fucking before the knot even happens, if it does. And if it does this first time, from what you just said, it swells once it’s inside me, which should be fine, right? I’d think it’d only really be a problem if we tried to separate before the knot goes away. I’m utterly fine with staying joined to you for a while. So how big is this special erotic part you have?”

“Make a fist, Ammiel,” Dashiell said with a little sigh of defeat.

I did as he asked, tiny flutters of excitement twisting through me. I wasn’t a big person but looking at the size of my clenched fist and mentally comparing it to my hole made me suck in a soft breath. Dashiell circled his fingers around my hand and despite my being smaller than he was, his fingers didn’t quite touch. He nodded his head.

“That’s about right. Maybe a touch smaller than your fist. Still think you want to take something almost the size of your fist in your ass? Once it’s in, it wouldn’t be coming out before my balls are empty without a good bit of pain on your part. I can’t say how long it would be like that either. It could be fifteen minutes or it could be as long as an hour. Maybe even longer.”

An hour? Or longer? My ass actually clenched and released in pleasure at the thought of being locked on Dashiell’s cock as he emptied his balls into me. My cock throbbed and twitched eagerly. Maybe the idea of being able to find release without any touches to my cock wasn’t as crazy a thing as I thought it was earlier. It could be a world of fun to see if I could come from nothing more than feeling Dashiell’s cock spurting inside me over and over again.

“Yes, I want that. You said it doesn’t always appear when it’s not breeding season, but I’m really hoping it will. Thinking about being stuck on your cock and feeling you coming over and over in my ass is erotic as hell. This is how much the idea appeals to me,” I said as I took Dashiell’s hand and pressed it to my rock hard cock.

Dashiell growled low in his throat, licked his lips, and squeezed my dick making me gasp softly in pleasure and push my hips up into his touch. He glanced around before looking at me, his expression serious.

“Take us to your rooms. I don’t want to have to divide my attention between worrying about being interrupted by something out here and the pleasure I know I’ll find in your body. I especially don’t want to do that if I’m knotted inside you and suddenly need to protect you.”

There were some lovely perks to being a god. One of them was the ability to move from one place to another without actually physically having to move. I wanted us to be in my rooms so we were. I also wanted us to be naked and laying on my bed so that happened, too.

“I wanted to undress you slowly with kisses and gentle touches,” Dashiell said as he subtly pushed his cock against my leg.

“Next time,” I said as I ran my hands over his soft fur.

Dashiell tried for a long-suffering look, but I didn’t believe it for a second. It was hard to give the impression of being put out with us being naked together on my bed when his cock was rock hard and smearing slick fluid against my thigh. Not that I minded that in the least.

“But your first time is supposed to be special,” he protested.

“It’s with you. It can’t be any more special than that,” I said softly as I touched his face with my finger tips. “Just having you here with me like this, knowing you want me the same way I want you... that you love me like I love you... That makes this more special than anything.”

Dashiell kissed me, and I didn’t need any godly powers of perception to know just how deep his feelings were. His hands travelled over my body, the touch light but sure. He was careful with his claws, but even so, they lightly scraped over my skin making me shiver with pleasure. They also reminded me that some precautions needed to be taken because of that. Regretfully, Dashiell wasn’t going to be able to play with my ass unless both of us ended up liking some rough stuff. I was harder to actually injure because I was a god, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t be hurt and feel pain. Claws inside my ass just seemed to be asking for trouble until we figured something out on that score. A thought had me nicely lubed and loosened up and while it was the best thing to do at the moment, and I’d done it to myself, I felt slightly cheated.

“We need to figure out how to deal with your claws for next time. I’m good to go now although the method of that isn’t what I wanted,” I said with a little frown as I pulled back from Dashiell’s kiss. “We will figure something out though. I simply wasn’t willing to let your claws be a stumbling block to what we both wanted right now.”

Dashiell looked thoughtful for a moment, and I struggled against the urge to take a little peak into what he was working out in his head. That would be extremely rude. And probably wouldn’t work anyway. He smiled slowly at me as he came to some sort of decision.

“Leave that to me. You know I’m very focused when my task is important, and getting to experience all of the joys of being together as lovers is my top priority. Getting you ready to accept me into your body will definitely be one of those joys, and I’m very much looking forward to that.”

I grinned at that. We were going to have so much fun discovering things together.


	3. 3 Ties That Bind

** 3 Ties That Bind **

~Dashiell~

I couldn’t believe I was actually naked and in bed with Ammiel. Not only that, I was soon going to have my dick buried deep in his ass. That was beyond my wildest dreams. Ammiel was everything to me. I’d thought he was the most beautiful being I’d ever seen from the moment we met. He’d just been a tiny baby, and I’d been little more than a toddler at the time. Now, he was full grown and even more beautiful to me.

I almost didn’t know where to start loving him. There were too many choices. I did want to get my tongue on his cock though. That needed to happen. I adored the aroused scent of him in my nose, and I knew it would be stronger at his groin. It was a pity that I wouldn’t be able to finger him open this time, but he was right in that having sharp claws inside a rather delicate area would be a bad idea despite how hardy he was because of his godhood. He could still feel pain like any mortal, and I didn’t want to ever hurt him. Fortunately for us, he was a god, and if he thought something, within reason, it happened. He needed his ass lubed and loosened for this encounter, so it was.

I started licking him. I licked his shoulders and the tiny divot at his throat, making him laugh. Ammiel was rather ticklish. I worked down his chest, stopping to lave his pink nipples into hard little points. He groaned softly at that and buried his hands in my head fur, keeping my attention where he liked it. I was more than fine with that. I wanted to know all his secret spots that drove him crazy with want so I could tease and please him. I licked his nipples, alternating between them, his sounds of encouragement and pleasure making me incredibly happy and aroused.

“Bite them,” Ammiel demanded in a husky voice.

I looked up against his firm hold on my head. “What?”

“Bite my nipples. Not like you’re going to tear them off. Like when we have a tickle fight and you start nipping the sides of my neck and shoulders and make me laugh helplessly.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. The chat I had with Ji-Sun was interesting, and he gave me a few suggestions for things we might like. If I don’t like it, we know, and we don’t do it again. That’s what this first time is all about, right? Finding out what we like. Or at least starting to find out.”

“Okay, but you say something if it’s too much.”

“I’ll pull your ears if it hurts and I don’t like it. Fair?”

I nodded. My ears were sensitive. Pulling or tugging on them was painful, and Ammiel knew that. I started licking one of Ammiel’s nipples again and glanced up at his face as I closed my teeth over the firm nub and gently nipped him. Ammiel gasped, and his fingers tightened in my fur. I let go immediately, the words of an apology on the tip of my tongue.

“Oh, fuck. Do it again. Harder,” he demanded in a breathy, excited voice.

I hesitated for a second only to have Ammiel push my head to his chest. I licked his nipple again and bit him a little harder. He moaned, the sound one of pleasure, not pain. I bit him again, harder still and shook my head a tiny bit. Ammiel groaned and arched up, the scent of his arousal increasing. When I let go of his nipple he actually whimpered. I moved to the other one and treated it the same way. Ammiel’s fingers tightened again in my fur and held me to him. He obviously liked this a lot. I bathed his nipples with my tongue and pulled back against his hold on my head.

“So you obviously like that a lot,” I said with a grin.

“Fuck, yes. It’s like there was a direct line from my nipples to my cock every time you bit them. I swear my cock twitched each time you had them between your teeth. That little head shake thing was awesome, too. So nipple play is a ‘Yes, please’ for me. Wicked.”

I laughed and licked his lips before kissing him quickly. I went back to his nipples, this time pinching them with the pads of my fingers, which he liked. When I pinched both nipples at the same time between my claws, his breath actually caught, and he moaned long and low. I smelled pre-come and glanced over my shoulder to see his cock head shiny with it.

“I’m officially in love with nipple play. You’ve gotta try pulling on them when your cock is inside me. I bet that’ll blow my mind. Or maybe make me blow my load. Oh, fuck, that would be so damn awesome.”

I licked my lips, a tiny growl winding from my throat at the mental image. I dragged my claws lightly over Ammiel’s skin. He hummed approval at first but laughed and squirmed when I got to his waist and the spot right over his hip bones. He was so ticklish there. I traced my tongue over the faint red marks my claws made on his white skin. He squirmed more and laughed harder, especially when my tongue traced over his hip bones. Not erotic and still very ticklish there. _Noted_. The laughter quickly turned into a groan of pleasure when I tongued his cock.

I adored the musky scent of his arousal and the flavour of his cock on my tongue. I lapped up the pre-come from his cock, happy sounds I couldn’t have stopped if I’d tried coming from my throat. I bathed his cock and balls thoroughly and tried to figure out the best way to approach getting his cock in my mouth without accidently biting him. Although my muzzle was short, it wasn’t the best shape to be sucking cock. I could lick him like a pro, but sucking him down to the root was going to take some serious thinking.

I tried taking a good portion of him into my mouth and sucking, but I couldn’t get a decent seal going. I could suck on his cock head nicely, but anything deep, and it didn’t seem to work. I found that disappointing because I wanted to suck him deeply. Ammiel wasn’t complaining though. He was moaning and making sounds of pleasure as I alternated sucking strongly on his cock head and licking the length of his dick and balls. I only stopped when Ammiel gave a gentle tug on my head fur.

“I want to see what you like, too, Dashiell.”

“I like what I’m doing right now,” I said with a grin and a quick lick to his balls.

“Wonderful and awesome for me. I want to please you, too. This isn’t supposed to be just about you doing stuff to me. Okay, I really, really like that, but I want to play with your body, too. You lay down now and let me explore you a little.”

There was no way I could say no to that. My cock was already out of its sheath and aching to be touched. I lay on my back and waited for whatever Ammiel was going to do, anticipation making my heart thump heavily. He started running his hands over my shoulders and chest, petting me. It was both relaxing and arousing at the same time. His fingers discovered my nipples partially hidden by my short fur. I liked him kissing them and the feel of his tongue teasing them, but I didn’t have the same intense reaction that he did to having them played with. Gentle bites from Ammiel were okay but nothing harder. Apparently nipple play done to me wasn’t my thing.

He stroked his hands over my sides and hips, dragging his short nails through my fur. He rubbed his face against my belly, dropping kisses randomly. I couldn’t stop my tail from slowly starting to thump up and down in pleasure. I loved it when he’d pet my head, especially right behind the ears. This... this was heaven. No, better than heaven. I waited with mounting tension for him to touch my cock or balls, but he didn’t. It was a weird sort of pleasurable torture that I was kind of into.

“Roll onto your belly, Dashiell,” Ammiel said softly, a hint of command in his tone.

I did what he asked, not sure what he was planning, which was thrilling. I also kinda liked the slightly bossy tone he had. I found it hot for some reason. He continued petting me, stroking his hands down my back, every now and again scratching his nails through my fur. It was glorious and arousing in a way I hadn’t expected.

“Are you using your godhood on me to see what’ll turn me on?” I asked as I arched my back a little into his touch.

“Nope. I’ve wanted to do this forever but thought you’d tell me it was inappropriate or something. There’s something else I’ve wanted to try to since we first started kissing and groping each other. Tell me to stop if you don’t like it.”

The mattress dipped a little as Ammiel moved and swung his leg over my hips. He settled his ass down right where my tail joined my body and wriggled his hips. I could feel the heat of him against the base of my tail as his balls and the length of his cock rested against my spine. Excitement zipped through me at knowing that spot of heat currently warming the base of my tail was soon going to open up and take my cock. The weight of his body pressed my hips and my stiff dick into the mattress. It felt amazing. My breath caught in my throat when he began grinding his ass into me. By the gods, this was erotic.

“I’ve done some reading, too,” Ammiel said as he pressed his cock against my spine and rocked back and forth. “I read that some canines and even foxes like it when the spot right above their tail is scratched or rubbed. The books were pretty evenly divided between it just being something that felt good getting rubbed or being something that was sexually stimulating. You’ll have to let me know where it falls for you. I love the way your fur feels against my balls and cock, and I’ve been wanting to feel this for ages.”

“The way you’re doing it right now? Very, very sexually stimulating,” I groaned as I lightly humped into the mattress.

“Good. Feels that way to me, too,” Ammiel said as he leaned forward and pressed his chest to my back, rubbing himself against me.

Ammiel laid on my back and pressed kisses over my shoulders as he rocked his hips against me. Each press of his hips pushed mine into the mattress, thrilling me on two levels at once. I also found his breathy moans of pleasure erotic. Possibly too erotic. It wasn’t long before I rolled to my side dumping Ammiel off me so I could cover his body with mine, our chests pressed together.

“Ready for the really good stuff now?” Ammiel asked with laughter in his eyes.

“Tease,” I said before nipping his throat making him groan.

“Me? Nope. I’m not a tease. I’m going to eagerly spread my legs for you because I want your cock in my ass. I’m nicely lubed and loosened just waiting for you.”

“Are you sure about that, Ammiel? I mean, you’re sure you’re slicked and ready for me?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Like I said, I had a rather educational conversation with Ji-Sun about what to do and expect. I’m ready whenever you are. More than ready, really.”

“Then spread your legs for me, Ammiel, my love,” I said as I ran my hand down his side to his hip and then over his hard cock.

Pink dusted Ammiel’s cheeks at my command, but he also thrust his hips up and immediately spread his legs. I knelt between his thighs and watched his breathing speed up with excitement at what was to come. I leaned over him, bracing myself on one hand, and rubbed our cocks against one another. He bit his lip and gently touched my face before sliding his hand to the back of my head and pulling my head down until our lips were almost touching. I held our cocks together and stroked both of them making Ammiel’s eyes close and a highly erotic sound of pleasure twist from his throat. I licked his lips before moving that last little distance of space that separated us and kissed him with all the love and desire I was feeling.

“Stop, Dashiell. I’m going to come if you keep doing that. It feels way too good,” he said breathlessly when he broke the kiss.

“So? I’m the one that needs to have a hard dick for what we’re planning. Come. You can always get hard again.”

Ammiel groaned. “Then bite my nipples again. I really liked that.”

I moved my mouth to the nipple over his heart and lightly bit the hard nub. He gasped, and his back arched, his fingers tightening in my head fur. I bit him harder and stroked us both faster, hoping that I’d have the will power to hold back my orgasm. Ammiel’s two eyes closed, but his third-eye opened wide, the golden colour almost seeming to glow like the sun. I gave a little head shake to the nipple I was tormenting, and he cried out sharply as his cock began pulsing. I flicked the tip of his nipple with my tongue, still holding it firmly between my teeth, and he moaned louder. When it seemed like his dick was done spurting, I let go of his tormented nub and licked it, making him shudder and press up into my mouth as if asking for more.

I leaned back on my haunches and just stared at the perfection sprawled in front of me as I tried to calm my need to jerk off over him. We both wanted more than that this time. He watched me with his third-eye as his breathing slowly returned to normal. I leaned in and began lapping up the seed he’d spilled across his belly, a little whine of pleasure leaving me. He might’ve said he wasn’t made of honey, flowers, and sunshine, but his spunk sure as hell tasted that way to me. Elixir of the gods indeed. I cleaned him of his seed, running my hands over his inner thighs and teasing his balls with gentle caresses while I did it.

I’d managed to calm my need to come as I licked him clean, but it probably wouldn’t take much to bring me back to that point again. His eyes were still closed, save his third-eye, which was wide open and fixed on me. He smiled at me and bent his knees, bringing his feet to rest flat on the mattress, giving me easy access to his ass. My heart beat faster knowing that in a few moments I was going to join my body with the person I loved beyond life itself.

“Inside me now, Dashiell. Do as your God commands you,” he said, his voice firm and like he expected to be obeyed immediately.

“Aren’t you the bossy bottom?” I teased, my heart jumping in excitement at the tone of command in his voice.

“I am your God. Obey me,” he commanded.

My mouth went dry, and my cock throbbed. Oh hell, this was pushing buttons I didn’t even know were buttons for me. Ammiel was still watching me with his third-eye and had a tiny smile on his dark red lips. He reached down and started playing with his soft cock with one hand while he pinched and tugged on a nipple with the other. I swallowed hard as I watched him fondle himself. Fuck, everything about what he was doing was hot—from the command in his voice that I’d never heard directed at me before, to the way he was looking at me like he expected to be obeyed immediately, to the erotic way he was slowly making himself hard again. Ammiel and I had never been formal with each other. It never seemed right between us. But now.... I was very okay with it.

“As you wish, My Lord,” I said as I lined my cock up to his hole.

I pressed forward, sliding into slick heat. Ammiel’s third-eye partially closed, and a soft moan sounded from him. I watched him for any sign of discomfort as I pushed into him, but there was only pleasure on his face. I let out a slow breath when I was finally balls deep in his ass. By all that was holy, being inside Ammiel was better than I dreamed it could be.

“Fuck me,” he ordered.

My tail started to swish back and forth as arousal rushed through my system. This side of Ammiel was unbelievably hot to me. Who knew? I stared at Ammiel and the way his third-eye glowed and the look he was giving me. A smile twitched up my lips. The God of Perception that I was about to fuck into the mattress, obviously knew.

“My pleasure and honour, My Lord,” I said as I drew back slowly before pushing in just as slowly.

Ammiel moaned softly and tilted his hips up allowing me to press in deeper. I wanted to keep a slow and steady pace to hold my orgasm at bay as long as possible. Ammiel’s cock was well on the way to being hard again, and that aroused me. I shifted my hips a little as I pushed in and Ammiel gasped, his eyes flying wide open.

“Do that again,” he demanded.

I grinned and started pumping my hips a little faster, pulling sounds of pleasure from Ammiel with every thrust inside him. He was fully hard again, and the smell of his need for me was almost dizzying. His legs wrapped around my hips, and he stopped tormenting his nipple and started petting whatever part of me he could reach as if desperate to touch me everywhere. Gods, that felt wonderful and so very arousing. The scent of his come lingered in the air, and I could still taste his seed on my tongue. His continued arousal was heady and had me making tiny growls of lust and possession with every hip thrust. He was mine, but I was also his and always would be his until I drew my last breath. I knew that to the very depths of my soul.

“Tie us together,” Ammiel commanded.

A shiver travelled down my spine at the command. I wanted to obey him with everything in me. There was something about him ordering me to please him sexually that was impossibly hot to me. I wasn’t sure I could do what he told me to, but I was going to give it my best try for both our sakes. I sped up my thrusts making him groan every time I slid into his ass. His cock was leaking pre-come, and he kept stroking himself in rhythm with my thrusts.

“Are you disobeying your God?” Ammiel asked in a stern voice when I didn’t knot him as he’d told me to.

“No, My Lord,” I said as my balls tightened. Fuck that was hot.

“Then do as I command. Tie us together. Now.”

Ammiel watched me intently, all his eyes opened wide. I wanted to do what he’d ordered me to, but I wasn’t sure it was going to happen. It wasn’t breeding season, so there was no guarantee the knot would happen. I’d told Ammiel that, and I was sure he hadn’t forgotten. Why was he demanding something neither of us was sure would happen?

“Obey me,” Ammiel commanded in a soft voice that was filled with the weight of godly power.

My eyes went wide at the tell-tale tingle in my balls that told me my knot was about to swell. I pushed hard into Ammiel and held still, a growl vibrating in my throat at the almost too good feeling of my knot swelling inside Ammiel. He gasped and jerked his cock faster. No sooner had my knot finished swelling, my cock started to pulse with release. I tipped my head back and howled at the exquisite pleasure of being tied to my mate and filling him with my seed. Ammiel cried out, and I smelled his spunk again at the same instant I felt his ass clench and release my cock, his inner muscles massaging my hyper-sensitive knot. I panted harshly and looked down at Ammiel, my heart feeling full to bursting with how much I loved him.

My cock throbbed within him, shooting another load into him. Every ten seconds or so, my dick would pulse again, giving him more of my seed. There was a peaceful and pleased look on his face. He wriggled his hips a little and gave a gasp, his ass squeezing me briefly.

“Holy shit, you’re still coming. I didn’t expect that to feel so good. You coming in my ass, I mean,” he said with a little laugh. “I really like this. We’ll be doing this frequently.”

“I’m very happy to oblige both of us on that score. My bulb should last at least fifteen minutes. Maybe longer. And I did tell you that I would keep coming while it’s swollen,” I replied as I leaned down to kiss him. “Are you okay? It doesn’t hurt, does it?”

“I didn’t really think you meant you’d come basically continuously the whole time we were tied together. I’m seriously liking that idea though. I’m absolutely fine. I feel very stretched inside. It’s a weird but erotic thing at the same time. I think it would hurt a lot if I had to get off your cock right this very instant. Fortunately I don’t plan on doing that because it feels too damn good to have you right where you are.”

“I definitely second that statement. I love you, Ammiel. To my final breath, I will love you.”

“I love you, too, Dashiell. Forever. Our love is meant to be forever.”

I was about to tell him that it would be but said nothing. He had eternity as a god. At best, I might get a thousand years. That would be an unthinkable amount of time for many beings but it wasn’t unheard of for a Kitsune or Coyote to make it to that age. It wasn’t common, but it did happen. Ammiel was watching me intently again with all his eyes open, a small smile on his lips. Something was up with him, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was.

“Pull me up to sit in your lap,” he demanded.

I wriggled my arm behind the small of his back and pulled him up to sit on my thighs. Ammiel gasped, and his eyes closed. I sucked in a sharp breath as my cock sank a little deeper into him. He breathed slowly several times before he opened his eyes to look at me. He gave a shaky laugh and cupped my jaw.

“Note to us, pulling me up to sit in your lap with your cock up my ass makes your cock slide deeper into me. I like it a lot, but it was a little surprising, especially with your knot inside me.”

“I’m so sorry, Ammiel. I didn’t think about that. Are you okay?”

Ammiel shrugged, his soft smile easing my worry. “I didn’t think about it either. I’m fine. I just needed a few seconds to adjust. It still feels wonderful to be bound together like this.”

I kissed him, relieved that I hadn’t accidentally hurt him. I also kissed him because I liked kissing him. He kissed me back, and when he pulled away, there was that something again in his eyes that I couldn’t quite pin down. It stirred a strange sense of anticipation in me that had absolutely nothing to do with my cock locked in his ass filling him with my seed. It still felt better than amazing to be so intimately connected to him, but this whatever in his eyes was more.

“I was serious when I said our love is meant to be forever. If you could have that, would you choose to be with me until the end of time? Think about it before you snap out an answer. Actual eternity is a very, very long time to be with one person.”

“There has only ever been you, Ammiel. There will only ever be you. Yes, if I could spend eternity with you, loving you and being loved by you, I’d do whatever I had to for that to happen.”

“What if I were to tell you that you could have that if you want it, want me, to be your forever lover?”

“Do I need to slay a thousand demons or kill a dragon bare-handed or maybe kill a god with nothing but a letter opener, a silk scarf, and a caramel apple to make this happen? Tell me and I’ll do it. I might need a little time to accomplish it, but I will do it.”

Ammiel laughed and hugged me tight. Considering he was a god, there was some serious force being applied to my ribs. I was actually in danger of having a rib dislocated, and I grunted. Pink dusted his cheeks, and he eased his grip. He sometimes forgot just how strong he was, especially when he was really excited or happy about something. I, too, sometimes forgot how strong he was since most of the time he was as gentle as a summer breeze.

“I’d like to give you my god-mark. This is something very, very serious for a god to do, and once done, it can’t be undone. Not even the Great-Father could undo it if a mark is freely given and accepted. You’d have a drop of my power fused to your soul. It’s more than just having some of my Divine Will as you do now. You’ll never age, never get sick, gain strength and endurance, and be able to withstand the full, unleashed power of any god, not just me, for as long as I exist. You’ll be extremely hard to kill and will heal incredibly fast, but you will still feel pain and bleed if you’re injured. There’re ritual words we both need to say, and we’ll both need to bleed a little. Nothing serious, but our blood needs to mix. I send some of my power into you and then expose you to the full measure of my godhood. The mark appears, and it’s done.”

“You want to give me your god-mark?” I asked, stunned.

I knew, in a vague sort of way, what a god-mark was. I knew of a few gods who had given their marks to their lovers. I didn’t know a god-mark involved all of that or that the one getting the mark would be blessed to that extent. I knew it was an incredibly rare thing for a god to do though. I was humbled that Ammiel wanted to share something so precious with me.

“I do. I’ve wanted to offer it to you for a while, but I wasn’t sure you loved me the way I hoped you did, and I didn’t want to put you in an uncomfortable position. Now, I know how you love me, and it’s even more than I’d hoped for. You can say no or that you need some time to think about it, and I’m not going to be angry. It’s a huge decision that will literally affect you for... well... eternity. It needs to be what you want, too, and not just to please me. I’m asking this as the man who loves you, not as your God with a command you must obey.”

“It would be my deepest honour to accept your god-mark, Ammiel,” I said, my throat a little tight at the emotions suddenly running through me.

The smile Ammiel gave me made me feel as though I’d created the universe purely for his enjoyment and he was pleased with my gift. He hugged me again, carefully this time. He wriggled his hips making both of us groan at the pleasure. We were still intimately tied together, and I think my excitement at being given his god-mark and all that entailed made my bulb swell a little, likely keeping us together for longer. Not that it was a hardship for either one of us.

“When do you want to do this?” I asked eagerly.

“Right away,” Ammiel replied with a happy smile as he stroked my head.

“Okay. I’ll have to find my ceremonial robe. I think it might still be in the wash though. I got some sauce on it when we were at that dinner a few days ago with your mom, Lord Thoth, and Lady Maat. I should probably sharpen my sword and buff the metal on the scabbard, too. Should we invite anyone to this aside from your mom, Lord Thoth, and Lady Maat? I have no idea what the protocol for this sort of ceremony is.”

“I meant now. Like right now,” Ammiel said with a grin as he wiggled his ass in my lap.

My jaw dropped open, and I stared at him in shock. “Ammiel!” I said scandalized. “My cock is knotted in your ass for I don’t know how long. We can’t do something so... sacred while my dick is locked inside you.”

“I haven’t forgotten what is where,” he said with a positively lewd smile as he clenched his ass muscles making pleasure shiver down my spine and another load leave my balls to bathe his insides.

“This is a commitment as lovers and partners that’s between us. How we chose to make the mark, during sex or not, is nobody’s business but ours. My understanding is that it frequently happens during sex because that is a moment usually filled with love, passion, and trust for the couple. I know for a fact that both Sleet and Khale got their marks from Fei-Lau during something that was sexual for both of them. Eilam apparently got his during a special playtime with Rhas-Khan. Ondraeden gave Valerian his during sex, too.”

“Really?” That was sort of titillating. “How do you know that? Did they tell you?”

“No, but I am the God of Perception, and I wanted more details about the whole god-marking business, so I looked with my third eye. If the quick pulses of your dick in my ass just now mean anything, you like the idea of permanently wearing something that others will identify as you having gotten in a moment of passion with me.”

For somebody who wasn’t supposed to be able to see the lives of those closest to him very clearly, Ammiel was doing a damn fine job of knowing what was what. And if he had used his powers as a god to find out more about a god-mark, it had to be true what he said and not some rumour he’d heard somewhere.

I now knew I’d think of that little sexual fact every time I saw those men and the marks they bore. A naughty sort of tingle rushed through me when I realized that they’d probably think the same thing when they saw mine. I growled a little and a strong pulse of my cock sent more spunk into Ammiel. I kind of liked the idea, in a weird way, that others would know that our love and passion was so great that Ammiel had offered me his god-mark and I’d accepted.

“What do you need me to do?” I asked him as I brushed my fingers over his cheek.

“Answer my question honestly.”

“That’s it? There’s nothing... more?”

Ammiel’s smile was soft and filled with love. “When mortals marry, all they’re doing is making a solemn vow in front of a representative of their god to act as witness for said god. This is a bond stronger than that, and you’ll be making your vow directly to your God. Answer honestly. That is all I ask.”

I nodded in understanding. Ammiel held out his hand, and the kris dagger I’d given him for formally accepting me as his Guardian appeared balanced on his palm. The dagger was a true work of art and had taken me years to save up for. I’d had Bao-Tein, Goddess of the Forge and Metalwork, make it for me. It was a beautiful work of art that was also highly functional as a weapon. I’d trained Ammiel myself on how to use it, and he was quite skilled at knife fighting.

Because it was a weapon forged by a god for a god, it was a god-killing weapon. It was actually spiritually linked to Ammiel and could never be stolen from him nor have the blade turned against him. I’d paid extra for that feature. The blade was sharper than a razor and would never dull. There were nine waves to the blade, and the gold and platinum used for the blade twisted and rolled so it always looked like the blade was molten metal given shape by Ammiel’s will. Ammiel set the blade down on the bed beside us and looked into my eyes, his demeanour taking on a serious air.

“Dashiell, do you willingly accept my god-mark?” he asked, his voice deepening as he released some of the restraint on his power as a god. “Do you vow to hold me in your heart, forsaking all others, to love and cherish me as your partner, lover, and friend until your dying breath?”

“With great honour I accept your god-mark, Lord Ammiel. You have always lived in my heart. You always will until the end of my days. My heart, my life, my very soul, is yours.”

The words were easy to find and say. They were the absolute truth.

“I accept your vow on the condition that you accept mine. I vow to love and cherish you to the end of time as my partner, lover, and friend. You have held my heart since the moment I saw you and will continue to hold it for eternity. You are mine just as I am yours. I love you, Dashiell.”

“I accept you vow. I love you, Ammiel,” I said, my heart feeling near full to bursting with happiness.

Ammiel took my left hand in his right and positioned my hand, palm up, my fingers slightly curled inward, between us at about the height of my breastbone and let go. I kept my hand where he positioned it and waited for what was next. The kris rose into the air, and he grasped it with his right hand, apology in his eyes.

“I’m sorry this is going to hurt you,” Ammiel said softly.

The kris stabbed down in almost a blur of motion. For a second or two, I didn’t feel a thing, the motion of the blade so fast. Then all five of my fingers started to burn at the tips along with the center of my palm. Ammiel had pierced the pads of my fingers, and blood started to flow down them to gather in a puddle in my palm, which had also received a shallow stab wound. He repeated the wounds on his left hand and held his hand several inches above mine, palm down. The kris vanished, and I watched with a little bit of fascination as dark purple blood dripped from his fingers to pool with mine in the palm of my hand. Our blood mixed and swirled together, the shifting patterns beautiful.

“Stay as still as you can. This is really going to hurt, but you will survive. I swear it,” Ammiel said.

Warmth started to fill the center of my palm. It travelled up my arm and spread quickly through my body. My balls really liked that, and my cock throbbed hard in Ammiel’s ass, giving him another load of my seed. He sucked in a sharp breath, and it suddenly felt like my hand was on fire. Not only that, I felt like I was being pressed on from all sides. The pressure around my body continued to build, and the fire in my hand raced through my body. All my fur stood on end, as it became harder to breathe. I could’ve sworn I could hear my bones creak from the pressure. The pressure was very uncomfortable, but not at painful levels. Yet.

“This is barely half of my godhood, and you need to feel all of it, take all of it. Deep breath, Dashiell. I’m going to open myself and expose you to my full measure as a god.”

I nodded and drew in a breath. Ammiel interlaced his fingers with mine, bringing our bloodied palms together. Pressure so intense I thought I was going to be squeezed to death surrounded me. The deep breath I’d taken was forced from my lungs, and I couldn’t draw another. Ammiel tightened his fingers on mine, and I stared into his eyes, drawing strength from the love and encouragement I saw there. I’d be fine because Ammiel said I’d be fine, and I trusted him with my life.

Just when I started to feel a bit lightheaded from lack of air, a tingling rush burst through me, and suddenly, all the pressure was gone as if it’d never been. I groaned as my cock pulsed hard in Ammiel, the jet of seed almost painful in its intensity as it left my balls. Ammiel moaned, and my breath shuddered out of me as I felt my knot start to shrink.

“You belong to me now, Dashiell, as I belong to you. Not even the god of gods can undo what I have wrought,” he said, his voicing resonating with the power of a godly decree before he kissed me on the lips.

I kissed him back with all the love I felt for him. I didn’t feel a whole lot different, but maybe that was something I’d notice later. Ammiel made a small sound of disappointment in his throat when my cock slipped free of his ass, the knot now gone. Ammiel let go of my hand and turned it over, a little frown appearing on his face when he looked at the back of my hand. He brushed the short fur back and forth and pursed his lips.

“That’s weird. I know it worked because I let my godhood loose on you and you didn’t explode from the power, but there’s no mark on the back of your hand or wrist. Your fur isn’t hiding it either. You should ha....” he trailed off as he raised his eyes to look at me.

“Well that’s unexpected,” he said as he raised his unbloodied hand to run his fingers over the base of my throat.

“What?”

A small mirror appeared next to me. I stared with wide eyes at my reflection. At the base of my throat was a stylized Egyptian water lily in gold. On either side of the flower was a stylized peacock eye feather that seemed to circle my neck. I touched the gold marks, and all I felt was my short fur. I rubbed the fur back and forth, but the mark didn’t come off or even smudge in the slightest. I parted the fur and saw that the skin under the mark was actually golden in colour in the same pattern as the mark.

“Well, a god-mark is supposed to tailor itself to the one getting it. It usually appears on the back of the hand, but other places can happen. Like Sleet having his on his temple or Khale’s on his wrist. The symbols of your mark make sense, too. Peacock eye feathers are symbols for guidance, protection, and watchfulness something you’ve dedicated yourself to doing for me. The water lily is a symbol of rebirth, purity, and unification as well as enlightenment, and I’m all over the whole unification and enlightenment thing as part of my godhood.”

I continued to touch the mark around my neck. I liked the look of it, but I wished just the tiniest bit that my god-mark had been someplace that I could see it easily. I had the sneaking suspicion that I’d like looking at the proof of our bond frequently. Ammiel watched me touching the mark and smiled, a hint of lewdness in his expression.

“You know, I wouldn’t have guessed you’d get off on me ordering you around in bed. I’m beyond thrilled that I was actually able to see that when I used my third-eye. That was damn erotic for me, too. I like how your god-mark is sort of like a collar.”

My eyes went wide, and my exhausted cock tried to show that it approved of that idea but failed. The spirit was very willing. The body? It needed to recuperate big time. My balls actually felt tender, and I was willing to swear that I’d never had that much come leave my balls in one encounter. Not even when I was in the middle of breeding season.

_“If you liked me commanding you then, I’ll bet you’ll love me commanding you to fuck me like this,”_ Ammiel said, his voice speaking directly in my mind. It was sensual and intimate, and I loved it at the same time I was floored that I was hearing him in my head.

_“You can talk to me this way, too, anytime you want. This is part of the bond between a god and the one who wears his god-mark. Think of it like sending me a very intimate prayer. There’s no limit on this either. Anywhere you are, no matter how far apart we may be, even across planes of existence, we’ll be able to talk like this.”_

_“I love you, Ammiel,”_ I tried, hoping I was doing it right and that he could hear me. I’d never prayed to Ammiel before. I’d had no need to because he was always right beside me.

The smile Ammiel gave me was glorious. _“I love you, Dashiell. By the Great-Father, you sound wickedly hot like this. I can’t wait to hear you like this while you’re stuffing your cock in my ass and biting my nipples. That is going to be so damn good. Holy shit! I bet you’ll sound hotter than hot when I nail your ass and have you beg me to do you harder or faster or whatever.”_

I laughed and kissed Ammiel, holding him tight to me. “Y_es, it will. If you can be patient for a while and let my dick and balls recover, I’ll see if I can give you what you want.”_

_“You _will_ give me what we both want. Your God requires your service soon. Obey me.”_

I grinned and my cock twitched. _“As my Lord wishes it.”_

Ammiel snuggled in my arms and sighed in contentment, his head resting on my shoulder. I felt content and happier than I’d ever been. I’d always wished for strong ties to Ammiel to bind us together. I had that now, and it was more than I’d ever imagined. I kissed the top of Ammiel’s head and held him close, revelling in the feeling of loving him and being loved by him in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the story.


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